Chalk Paint Furniture Before and After

Chalk Painted Furniture

Taking a Table from Sad to Elegant with Amy Howard at Home One-Step Chalk Paint

One of the wonderful things about transforming furniture or just about anything with paint is that you can give new life to something that someone else may have discarded.

Seeing the Possibilities

There are so many wonderful pieces of furniture out there that are available at such an inexpensive price. You can find beautiful pieces at thrift stores, restores, yard sales or Estate sales. These pieces may seem dated, worn or even need some repair….BUT, they have beautiful lines, and character that with paint and a little imagination – you can make new and quite attractive!

Sad Little Library Table

I wanted to demonstrate a lovely before-after with Amy Howard at Home One Step Chalk Paint. While shopping at a Habitat Restore, I found this lovely little library table. I’m sure it had been passed over for quite a while. It’s finish was scratched and worn. It just looked sad. But, these tables are so perfect beside chairs or in the center of an entry way…they just need a little imagination for new life.

Why Chalk Paint

Chalk paint has been around for quite a while. What makes it wonderful, in my opinion, is it’s ease of use. Usually, when transforming furniture with latex paint you’ll have to go through a few steps. First, you’d have to strip the finish. If you skip this step, you’ll go through a lot of sand paper with gunked up finish building up. Then you’ll want to sand the piece to get a smooth surface. Then, you paint. With chalk paint – you just clean then paint! Now One-Step means just that – one step. It doesn’t necessarily mean full coverage in one step – Amy Howard recommends at least two coats of paint. Using a good brush will give you a wonderful finish.

Chalk Paint is Flat – Yes, and Durable

Yes, chalk paint is flat. It is chalky. That in some cases may be a desired finish, but if you don’t want that you can add wax to the surface. And let me tell you, this part I LOVE! You have several options. Clear paste wax, antiqued paste wax or as I use in this case, a soft bees wax cand ‘Mind Your Own Beeswax’. It is a creamy liquid form that you can brush or wipe on with a lint free cloth. The longer you allow it to dry the higher the sheen. Then buff!

Be Creative with Your Painted Furniture

I selected a very elegant gray called ‘Good Man is Hard to Find’. At first I wasn’t sure about this shade, but when it dried – I loved the color! I wanted to give the top an aged look with French script! So, I dry brushed ‘Chelsea Square over the entire top and top sides. Once I was pleased with the amount I allowed it to dry.

Adding Hand Lettered French Script

You can find a number of script font options online. All you have to do is download it to your computer and select for your projects. Some are for personal use only, so make sure if you wish to create anything you want to seel that you’ve selected one that’s appropriate for that. Once I selected the script font I found a line from a French poem. I used Google Translate to transform the line from English to French. I then spaced how I wished the words to appear and to visualize how big I wanted the font. I made a test run then once satisfied with the size and layout. I transfered the script onto the surface with carbon paper lightly taped together with the sheet paper then taped to the surface with painter’s tape. I

First – set the script along the center and write from top back to front of the table. I added more script to each side of the lines to fill out the rounded sides of the tabletop. I traced the lettering then I used a fine Sharpie marker. I went over the lettering twice then lightly sanded with 400 grit sand paper here and there. I waxed the top and using the product instructions I added some age here and there with Dust of Ages.

The Table is Now Elegant

The newly painted table now has new life. The gray is an elegant color that complements many decor colors and styles. It can be sophisticated or farmhouse simple! I love the look of the script on top. It can stand alone in decor with a floral arrangement or with a few pieces of decor accessories in a vignette!

Do you love to paint furniture? What is your favorite type of paint? Do you have any concerns or questions? Let me know!

Oh, it is a beautiful table! You did a great job!
I love the things I have fixed and repaired and repainted all over my home and now I have no room for more…
It is such a fun thing to do!
Nancy
wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

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